Sammons Donates $1 Million to Drake University Actuarial Program

DES MOINES, IA--(Marketwired - July 15, 2015) - Sammons Enterprises, Inc., parent company of Des Moines-based Sammons Financial Group, has donated $1.0 million to Drake University for the Sammons Endowed Professorship in Actuarial Science, a program that supports a new or existing professor of actuarial science and will be used to retain or attract outstanding faculty members.

"Actuaries are critical to our success as an insurance company," said Esfand Dinshaw, President, Sammons Enterprises Inc. and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Sammons Financial Group. "Drake University offers one of the best actuarial programs in the United States and we are proud to provide support that will help ensure that their program continues offering the highest quality of education for the next generation of actuaries."

"Actuarial Science is one of our flagship programs, attracting talented students from around the world. This wonderful gift from Sammons will support our ability to continue a tradition of excellence," said Therese M. Vaughan, Ph.D., Dean, College of Business and Public Administration at Drake University.

Drake is one of 16 universities in the United States to be recognized as a Center for Actuarial Excellence by the Society of Actuaries and is one of the few private university actuarial science programs in the Midwest with a full set of actuarial science courses taught by actuaries.

Sammons Enterprises, Inc., (SEI) is a diverse holding company composed of financial services, industrial equipment, and real estate investment businesses operating in five countries. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Sammons was established in 1938. With more than four billion in annual revenues and $70 billion in assets, Sammons is one of the largest privately held companies in the U.S. For more information, visit www.sammonsenterprises.com.

Sammons^® Financial Group, Inc. (SFG), an SEI wholly-owned subsidiary, is the parent of a group of member companies under the insurance Holding Company Act made up of several successful financial services companies offering a variety of financial and retirement products through multiple distribution channels. These consist of retirement products, annuities, variable annuities¹, variable life insurance¹, and life insurance (including bank, corporate, and credit union-owned life insurance). The member companies of SFG include North American Company for Life and Health Insurance^®, Midland National^® Life Insurance Company, including its divisions, Sammons Annuity Group and Sammons Corporate Markets Group, Sammons Retirement Solutions^® Inc., and Sammons Financial Network^® LLC. For more information, please visit www.sammonsfinancialgroup.com.

¹The distributor for Midland National's variable products is Sammons Financial Network^® LLC, member FINRA. Sammons Financial Network LLC is a registered broker/dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Sammons Financial Network LLC is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Sammons Enterprises, Inc., of Dallas, Texas, the ultimate parent company of Midland National^® Life Insurance Company and Sammons Retirement Solutions^®Inc.

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